The best of the rest: E3 wrap-up

E3 has come and gone, but not without the Big 3 console makers showing the gaming public their goods. Prior to the Los Angeles show Nintendo had confirmed they were working on a new console, but E3 brought the first glimpse of the Nintendo Wii U.

There was a very strong handheld presence at the show with Nintendo focusing a lot of it’s effort on it’s newly launched 3DS while Sony was showing it’s own Playstation Vita.

If their was one thing to be taking from E3 2011, it would be that gaming has really begun to emerge as a form of entertainment for everyone, not just people who live in their mother’s basement (my mother’s basement is rather nice, though).

Many of Nintendo’s offerings this year were of a somewhat smaller scale, so here is the best of the rest:

Measure Up
Measure Up may have been the strangest game I played at this year’s E3. The demo’s basic premise was to draw shapes to the best of your ability and then be judged. Can you draw a circle with a circumference of exactly 6 inches? How about drawing a triangle with three even 6 cm sides? Meause Up will let you know exactly that.

The two-player mode pits you against another player to see who payed more attention in geometry class. If Measure Up ends up as a free title with every Wii U, then so be it; but Nintendo please don’t charge me for this game come 2012, deal?

Kid Icarus: Uprising
Kid Icarus surprised me with it’s Devil May Cry meets Sin and Punishment style gameplay. The action was fast, the visuals were beautiful, and the multiplayer was simple but addictive. The narrative of Uprising may not win any awards for it’s writting, but the combat more than makes up for it.

My only gripe with Kid Icarus: Uprising was that the controls became a little cramped after playing the game for an extended period, so taking a break will be a must.

Resident Evil: Revelations
Good to finally see a Resident Evil proper for Nintendo’s handheld. While I have nothing against Mercenaries, I would just rather take my Resident Evil titles with less mini-game and more survival horror, thank you very much.

Revelations played more like the recent Resident Evil titles with the over the shoulder perspective instead of a fixed camera. There were a few puzzles that dropped the action down to the touch screen, but the bottom screen was mainly used as a hybrid map and inventory screen. Revelations was easily one of the most visually stunning 3DS titles on the show floor, and it should be a must have for any fans of the Resident Evil series.

Eugene lives in New Mexico and has been a life long gamer since getting his hands on an NES. Always partial to Nintendo, Eugene has made it a point to keep informed on all things Mario.